What We Believe

THE WORD OF GODWe believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without doctrinal, historical, or factual error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

THE TRINITYWe believe there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.

GOD THE FATHERWe believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person; that He hears and answers prayers, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus.

JESUS CHRISTWe believe in Jesus Christ, existing eternally as God’s Son. In His incarnation He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, led a sinless life, performed miracles and taught with authority. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death for the sins of all people, His bodily resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His perpetual intercession for His people and His personal, visible return to earth.

THE HOLY SPIRITWe believe in the Holy Spirit, who was sent by the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. We believe that God has given to believers spiritual gifts according to I Corinthians 12, 13, 14, Romans 12 and Ephesians 4.

ANGELSWe believe that angels are a distinct order of created spiritual beings; that they can appear in human form; that good angels minister to human beings and serve God as special messengers; that Satan, a fallen angel, and his evil angels whom he leads, exercise great but limited evil power in the world, and will suffer final defeat at the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ.

REGENERATIONWe believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice, and are therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and become new creations in Christ Jesus, but that the old nature is not eradicated.

THE CHURCHWe believe in the universal church, the living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a community of believers, baptized on a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and associated for worship, ministry and fellowship. We believe that the mission of the church is to bring the good news of Jesus Christ into our lost world.

CHRISTIAN CONDUCTWe believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

THE ORDINANCESWe believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We practice Christian Baptism as the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ in order to remember His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and celebrated until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOMWe believe that every person is directly responsible to God. Believers should be free to covenant together in autonomous congregations without undue interference from any ecclesiastical or government authority. While respecting the authority of government we affirm the responsibility of the church to speak into the public forum. In matters of disagreement between Scripture and government, we believe we must obey God.

THE LAST THINGSWe believe in the personal visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His Kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.